Sponsorship and Walk with a Doc events point to a healthier future
Walking is much more than putting one foot in front of the other. It’s also a great way to stay heart healthy because of its many benefits, including lowering your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
It can strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your mood, and more.
Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute has joined with Allentown’s Million Clicks for Million Hearts program to get more people walking. In addition to helping sponsor the Million Clicks program, the Heart and Vascular Institute is also announcing a Walk with a Doc program. In Walk with a Doc, a Lehigh Valley Health Network doctor will periodically lead a walk in one of the city’s parks and discuss an important health topic.
Million Clicks for Million Hearts is Allentown’s city-wide walking program, part of the Million Hearts® national initiative co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The initiative began in 2012 and looks to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the United States.
“The digital age and computers have us sitting more than ever and sitting longer. That’s why programs like Million Clicks for Million Hearts are so valuable. Together, we’re spreading the message about the health benefits of walking.” Ronald Freudenberger, MD
The city, which launched Million Clicks for Million Hearts in 2016, has designated “click-in stations” for walkers at several park locations: LifeTrail in Cedar Creek Parkway, Trexler Park, Andre Reed Park, Hamilton Mile, Lehigh Parkway, West Park, Stevens Park, Jordan Park, Roosevelt Park, and Lehigh Canal Park. Each time a walker “clicks in” with their city-issued key tab, their name is entered to win a monthly prize.
“I’m new to Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute and the Lehigh Valley, but no stranger to the benefits of exercise,” says Eric Elgin, MD, the Heart and Vascular Institute’s new chief of cardiology. “I’m excited to be part of the announcement of our sponsorship of the city’s Million Clicks program and the associated Walk with a Doc initiative. Walking can be done just about anywhere, and Allentown’s parks are great venues. You don’t have to be a gym rat, a power walker or a long-distance hiker or runner to benefit from exercise.”
“The digital age and computers have us sitting more than ever and sitting longer,” says Ronald Freudenberger, MD, Physician in Chief, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. “That’s why programs like Million Clicks for Million Hearts are so valuable. Together, we’re spreading the message about the health benefits of walking.”
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said the city wants to get people up and walking in its parks. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Major risk factors are controllable, and walking is one way to help,” he says.
The first Walk with a Doc program is set for Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. in Lehigh Parkway and will feature LVHN’s Gillian Beauchamp, MD, an emergency medicine physician who will talk about the health benefits of walking. Enter through 15th Street and go to the Robin Hood Bridge parking lot. The Walk with a Doc walks are free, but registration is requested. You can register here.
The next Walk with a Doc is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 22 in Trexler Park with Cardiologist Cheri Silverstein-Fadlon, MD.
The city’s Million Clicks for Million Hearts program is free, and you can sign up here.
